Forgotten Love
by Dmfritsc
Summary: Gia Rakton once joined the Jaeger program eager to become a pilot of her own Jaeger. She meets boyishly handsome and cocky Chuck Hansen and falls in love as she trains him, but when the chance arises for her to take a promotion outside of the Jaeger program, she can't resist. Pentecost calls on her as the program begins to fall years later and old wounds are reopened.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: I couldn't find a Chuck/OC fanfic that had the storyline I wanted, so I created my own. (As if I really needed to because I am nearing finals for school and I've got some goddamn shit going on but I couldn't help myself. I like how this is becoming a recurring excuse for why I need to write) Anyway. Here we go. I'll have you know I started drinking Moscato midway through this so God help us all. I read through it once and corrected anything I saw, but I really hate doing that because I end up changing parts of the story. I'll shut up now. I ramble like crazy. Here we go! - Dee**

**January 2018:**

I can't remember a time I felt more alive than at the age of nineteen. I had nothing to worry about other than the letter I was so intent on receiving, inviting me to join the Jaeger program. It was the most popular application for people in my age group. Who couldn't resist the opportunity to pilot a huge robot to fight off a monster? Talk about a comic book readers dream.

I planted my foot down onto the Australian soil and almost wept from the intense heat. I pulled at the stuffy black dress suit, almost immediately yearning for the chilly winds of Alaska. My dad took his hat off momentarily and wiped his forehead clean from the sweat. "Sweet jesus," he muttered under his breath as the commanding officer of the Australian base met him a few yards away. I stood with about twenty other Marines, a mixture of Lance Corporals and Corporals and a few Sergeants. My father, Sergeant Major James Rakton, had helped start the Alaskan resistance force a few years ago and was on the move to help build other nation's forces. He was the mastermind of it all, every bit of six feet tall, dark auburn hair and mossy green eyes. I was his "carbon copy" as my mom would always joke, only I had inherited her gray eyes and not his green ones. And I wasn't as tall, I was barely above five feet tall, skimming about three inches over.

"Sir," stated the commanding officer, saluting my father.

"At ease," he replied, waving a hand at him. "Let's get inside." He pointed a white gloved hand to the building behind him, directing each of us inside.

"Sir, may I just say what an honor it is to meet you. We're very gracious for your help. We hear about the victories you've accomplished up there all of the time."

"I thank you, Staff Sergeant." He bowed his head and tucked his hat away into the side of his belt, staring at the giant Jaeger still in progress. "Isn't it just amazing at how long it takes to build one and how damn expensive it is?"

"We started construction on our Jaegers about a year ago. We've almost finished up two machines."

"How many recruits do you have?"

"Close to a hundred, sir." My dad let out a low whistle and turned to face the man.

"Significantly less than our program. At least you have more time to be stingy about it. We get a thousand applications a day." It was the man's turn to whistle. Our program was stuffed and extremely difficult to get into. No one wanted to fight in the wars in the Middle East anymore – at least the American side didn't. But it didn't mean wars weren't still raging even with aliens knocking on our doors and ripping apart cities. "Are your recruits on base?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good." He turned to face me and the other men and women standing around the small viewing room. "These are the men I brought with me to help in the process. They're nearing the end of their program and showing very promising results. They're here to help train and lead your men."

"It's an honor," he spoke, bowing slightly to us.

"Men, this is Staff Sergeant Alex Buckley. He's going to be who you report to for the next few months. Any details or concerns about recruits, you bring to him. There's going to be no messing around. You know time is tight…" I focused on him and resisted each and every single urge to roll my eyes. I would surely get a few hundred suicides for even blinking the wrong way at this point. We had heard this speech about a thousand times before our arrival in Sydney. My father had been most hard on me after I expressed that I desperately wanted to be a Jaeger pilot. He was an old fashioned Marine and he was going to be damned if I didn't act and do the same. My brother, Ethan, had decided to stay behind at M.I.T. and finish his engineering degree, much to my father's dislike. Ethan wanted to build Jaegers, regardless of the taunting and scrutiny from my father for not following into the program with me. It didn't make any sense to us, as his children, especially when Ethan was only a couple of years away from graduating. "So let's get on the road with this." Buckley nodded in agreement.

He took us back out into the heat, leading us towards a group of about ten or so hangar type buildings. Ten men per hanger, all at varied levels with their own skills. My father dropped us off in pairs, two of us per hangar. The last hangar we neared, I was still walking with him, Buckley, and my fellow Lance Corporal, Travis Johnson. "These recruits have been here for a few months," Buckley stated. "They are about midway through the program we've created."

"Johnson and Rakton will be able to handle it," my father assured him, clapping a hand onto my shoulder. Buckley smiled and made brief eye contact with me. "Isn't that right?" I bit down on the inside of my cheek and gave him a stern nod. You have no idea how hard it was to be in the Marines with your dad in charge of you. Any little promotion you got, any praise you received – no matter what work you did – was all because of your father. And being a female did not fucking help your chances of disproving that either.

"Yes, sir," I chanted out of habit, keeping it plain and simple.

"That's what I like to hear." Travis smirked at me as Buckley and my father headed inside.

"Not a word," I muttered under my breath. Travis was almost like a brother to me. His mother had worked alongside my father for years. She was the most feared drill sergeant in the training program. Most other Marines attributed Travis being able to come to Australia because of his mother's position too. We were both ready to prove everyone wrong. And I think deep down my father I knew that and that's why he always kept us together. The inside of the hangar was almost as humid as it was outside. I pulled my hat off again and briefly dabbed a cloth at my forehead before tucking both into my belt. Travis did the same. We fell into ranks beside my father as Buckley called for the recruits to stand before us.

"Men, it is my pleasure for me to introduce you to the legend who started the Jaeger program – and his fellow commanding officers who will be here to help us train for the next year. Sergeant Major James Rakton, Lance Corporal Gia Rakton, and Lance Corporal Travis Johnson, Johnson and LC Rakton will be here to assist you, they will be your leaders. They are here to smoke out the bad and bring in the good," Buckley announced, pacing before the men. Their ages were all over the place. There were about five men near my age and five men varying in age from late twenties to late thirties. "Make your country proud." He left quickly with my father through the door we had come through just a moment ago.

"At ease," Travis stated. "Can anyone tell me where Rakton and I are bunked at?"

"Yeah, sure, I'll give you the drum," an older man on the end piped up, raising his hand. Travis and I exchanged a look. The man rolled his eyes. "Damn Yanks." The other men laughed, muttering different things under their breath to each other. "I'll show you about, alright?"

"Right…" We walked over to the man. He was tanned and blonde, wearing only basketball shorts. His hair was damn near to his shoulders, wavy.

"Name's Will, been in the shit for about five months now. Me wife and kids were killed after the first Kaiju attacked us. I was a digger for about three years before all that."

"A digger? Like a construction worker?" I asked, staring at Will curiously.

"Holy dooly, Yankee, we've gotta get right with your slang."

"He's means he's been a soldier," piped in a voice from behind us.

"Right now, rack off, Hansen, I'm showin' the Yanks around," Will snapped, waving a hand at him.

"Hey, you wanna get the new mates confused on the first day, that's on you, Will," the man chirped, smiling widely at Will. He stepped away from us slowly and sat on a cot a few feet away.

"You'll be stayin' here, sheila." Will pointed down to a cot next to the man that had just spoken to us. "And I think you're on the other side, mate."

"I'll be back in a minute," Travis told me, following Will, turning to give me a confused look as Will continued on in more Australian slang. I sighed and sat down on the cot and unbuttoned my suit jacket, pulling it off. It felt so much nicer to be in a white tank top rather than a suit jacket. It actually as though there might be air conditioning in the hangar. I laid back against the cot and exhaled forcefully.

"You gonna make it?" the familiar voice from earlier asked. I smiled to myself and peered over at the man.

"I think so ," I answered, propping my head up on the pillow so I could look at him. "Is it ever not a million degrees outside?" He smiled, boyishly, dimples forming on both sides of his face. His eyes scrunched up and he rubbed his chin. He had a small amount of stubble peppered around his jaw line, his medium length light brown hair was a mess on his head, poking out from all over the place.

"Yeah, about May, it starts to cool off." I groaned.

"Only four more months to go!"

"It's not that bad."

"I've been in Alaska for the past year, so it's kind of bad."

"Oi, Alaska? With all the constant snow and all that?"

"Yes."

"What were you doing up there?"

"Training."

"Is it true your Rakton's daughter?" he whispered.

"Possibly – what's it to you?"

"Nothing, just simply talking, that not allowed in your military?"

"Yes, talking is allowed," I bit back, sitting up, staring at – no name. "What is your name, _Cheshire Cat_?" I taunted, as it seemed the guy never stopped smiling.

"What's it to you?" he clipped back, folding his arms across his chest. I scoffed and stood up from my cot.

"Twenty laps around the base."

"You're gonna have to do better than that, Rakton," he laughed.

"Fine," I quipped. "How does a hundred sound?" His face became very serious and the smile faded quickly.

"The name's Charles Hansen, but people around here call me Chuck or Hansen," he answered, standing up.

"Seriously? Chuck?" He nodded, his entire body stiff. "Isn't that an old man's name?" His eyebrows scrunched up and he peered down at me.

"Now you just – "

"Rakton, Major wants us out front," Travis interrupted, looking between me and Chuck.

"Shit," I muttered, yanking my suit jacket back on, chasing after Travis through the door. My dad stood out in front of the hangars with the other Marines he brought down from Alaska. I took a deep breath and steadied myself, trying to hide the fact that I was just sprinting to meet them.

"Gia, are you satisfied with your placement?" he asked me.

"Yes, sir?" I replied. "I mean, we haven't seen them do anything yet, so I'm not quite sure."

"Just by gut instinct, answer the question."

"Yes, sir." I swallowed hard and stared up at him.

"Good." He gave me a very rare small smile and nodded. "We'll start at 0600 tomorrow morning. Have your plans ready at 0530 and meet me at the training grounds across the base. Let's all." Before I could speak to him he was immediately taken into a conversation by a Corporal and rushed away to start discussing more problems that were seen during our initial meet.

"You okay, Rakton?" Travis asked, clapping a hand on my shoulder.

"Yeah," I answered, watching my father climb into a small jeep and speed away.

"You know I'm here for you."

"Sometimes it'd be nice to have my dad."

"Mhm. Toughen up, rookie. We've got a long year ahead of us," he teased, shaking my shoulder.

X

**July 2025**

"Rakton, your phone's been ringing for thirty minutes now, you plan on picking that up?" shouted a voice from outside my tent. I yawned loudly and popped up from my cot, staring in disbelief as the clock read back that I had only been asleep for close to an hour.

"Can't I get more than a fucking hours' worth of sleep?" I shouted above the gunshots. The voice laughed. "Jesus fuck," I cussed, reaching for the small vibrating device on my make shift table across the space of my tent. I reached over and a pressed the answer button violently, allowing the device to set itself up into a camera as I sat back down on the cot. "How can I fucking help you?" I barked, as the call connected, not looking up to see who the caller was.

"Major Rakton?" a familiar voice asked. I opened my eyes slowly before landing them on Marshal Stacker Pentecost.

"_Oh fuck me_, seriously? I am so sorry, sir." I sat up a little straighter on my cot and pushed my stray hairs back on my head. He smiled at me for a brief second before returning to his usual stern demeanor.

"How are things out there in the heat?" I rubbed my head and stared back at him.

"They're rough, but we're managing." He looked down for a moment and smirked.

"Look, I know we haven't spoken since your father passed away a few years ago, but I need your help."

"With? Because the last time you all needed help I was shipped out to this godforsaken country and never to be heard from again."

"I need help out here in the Shatterdome."

"With Jaegers?" I scoffed. "Aren't those being discharged?" I had heard through the grapevine that the entire Jaeger program was being removed from the United Nations. They were ineffective as of the past year, because it appeared that the Kaiju were evolving to destroy the Jaegers.

"Yes, but we are forming a resistance of our own. We need Jaegers, Rakton. We are on the verge of a breakthrough."

"What kind of a breakthrough?" I questioned.

"I can't talk about it on this damn device. I need to see you. Your father was a major asset to the Jaeger program. I know it's been years, but I need you to help. You're the only one around in rank that knows anything about this program, Rakton. Say the word and they'll be a plane waiting for you in an hour." I rubbed the back of my neck and peered out at the dark sky, the flash of weapons exploding in midair among screams of all kinds. I gripped the edge of my cot and stared back at Pentecost.

"And what about my men? I can't just leave them here." I had been with most of the men around me for damn near two years, I couldn't just cut out on them.

"I have a Major on board the plane ready to take your place. You make the call. Your brother is already here." Ethan popped into the background, his dark brown hair in a short buzz cut. He wasn't wearing his usual glasses, and he was in military gear, which disturbed me even more.

"Ethan?" I asked, squinting at the hologram of him floating in my tent. "What in hell are you doing over there?"

"Helping," he answered simply with a laugh. "Get over here. There's work to be done."

"In – where?"

"Hong Kong. Pentecost set up a resistance base here in the Hong Kong Shatterdome. We've got a great plan, Gia. I'm serious, you've got to get over here."

"Yeah, yeah. Where's Pentecost?"

"Right here," he answered, walking back into view. "What do you say?" I shook my head and stared at my father's medals laying in a heap next to my cell phone. It had been years since I had been near a Jaeger. I could never forgive them for what they had done to me, even after my father had promised to help me fulfill my dreams. I wasn't supposed to be in the middle of Afghanistan fighting a war, I supposed to be in a Jaeger, helping break down the Kaiju. He promised me from day one that he would help. His promises got me nowhere.

"I'll be there," I replied, almost in a whisper.

"What did you say?" Ethan asked.

"I said I'll be there," I repeated, much louder. Ethan cheered and high fived someone off the screen.

"I'll see you soon, Major," Pentecost spoke before ending transmission.

X

The plane that had picked me up was no more than your run of the mill cargo plane. The Major that was going to precede me seemed okay in my standards. Otherwise I would have never boarded the plane. I sat in the empty front row and slept my way to Hong Kong.

Hong Kong was much different compared to Afghanistan. When I woke up, I could feel the change in the air. There wasn't a war waging outside, I couldn't feel tension, and the freedom almost drove me to scream. I stood by the rear cargo door as it opened, holding my pack on my right shoulder. I pulled my aviator sunglasses on as the sun brightened up the inside of the plane. Pentecost and Ethan were waiting for me on the tarmac. I smiled as Ethan ran up into the plane, wrapping his arms around me. I dropped my pack down immediately and hugged him back with the same enthusiasm.

"Damn Ethan," I muttered as he squeezed me. I had never remembered my nerdy older sibling being that strong. He laughed leaning his cheek down against the top of my head.

"How are you little sis?" he ribbed, picking me up off of the floor of the plane.

"Fine aside from you suffocating me," I coughed. He laughed and sat me back down.

"I'm so glad you decided to come."

"Yeah," I started, staring out at Pentecost. "Now what's so important?"

"We have a plan."

"And?"

"Just come on. Come inside and we'll talk." I was glad to see that Ethan had adjusted so well after our dad's death. I had fallen into a rut of claiming any job that needed overseeing. I couldn't lead a normal civilian life at home like Ethan. Ethan had been accepted into the Jaeger program shortly after his graduation as a builder. He built Jaegers for a living while I was out fighting wars against other humans. I had rotations in Afghanistan and Iraq. I was mostly known for being the only person that was willing to stay in Iraq for two years straight. Hell, after my dad's death I was willing to fight the war alone. He had completely wrecked my life before his death. I followed Ethan down the ramp to the tarmac and met Pentecost with a casual head nod.

"Thank you for coming," Pentecost began as Ethan opened the door to the Shatterdome for us. "I know it must have been hard for you."

"Look, I just want to skip all of the bullshit. Why am I here?" I asked.

"We think we've found a way to destroy the bridge between where the Kaiju are coming from and our world." My mouth fell to the ground.

"There's no way."

"Yes, in fact there is," Ethan interrupted, giving me a mischievous smile.

"Well, I'm all ears." Ethan and Pentecost led me into a large observation room where close to fifty men and women were sitting before monitors, each one doing their own job. After they had explained to me the situation and their plan to take a nuclear bomb into the bridge I stared at the both of them. "And why do you need me, exactly? It sounds as if you have everything control."

"Not all of us are a hundred percent," Pentecost told me. "I need someone who can lead these men. Someone who knows about the Jaeger program that isn't hungry for power."

"Sir, we need someone on the – " I heard his voice before I saw him. I turned around slowly and met the face that I had missed seeing for years. He was more rugged than I had left him. A scar on his left upper cheekbone. His blue eyes met mine and I could feel the give in my internal dam. Tears threatened to fall as I watched him look me up and down. "What is she doing here?" he asked, stepping back.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Wrote this out in an hour and a half. Sorry no edits! Thank you for following and the reviews! The storyline between them will be broken up and scattered. I think it's more interesting and you get to learn about them as time goes on! Thank you! - Dee**

"Hansen." Was all Pentecost could state. He looked between the both of us as Chuck maintained eye contact. I watched the redness creep up in his cheeks.

"Don't _Hansen_ me, Pentecost. What in the fuck is she doing here?" Chuck snarled. He was coated in sweat, his gray t-shirt clung to him, his hair short. It was a tad longer than the standard military crew cut.

"Is that how you address a Major, Hansen?" I asked, curiously. I didn't mean to antagonize him, I just simply wanted him to stop the madness. He pursed his lips and his jaw tightened.

"Sorry, _Major_, this Shatterdome is no longer under military control. Guess you'll need to flaunt your titles elsewhere," he spat, turning on his heel. He stalked away from us, guilt burning me up on the inside. His father, Hercules, rounded the corner and they crashed into each other.

"I take it you and Hansen have a history together, Rakton?" Pentecost asked, turning ever so slightly towards me. Ethan snorted.

"Sir, you have no idea. Best leave it alone," he replied. I watched as Chuck unloaded on his father before storming around the corner. Herc turned and looked at me slowly, a bittersweet smile on his face. He was worn, more wrinkles and scars than I remembered.

"Look at you…" Herc started, pulling me into a hug. I buried my face into his chest and smiled. He squeezed his arms around me before holding me out at arm's length. "How are you, little tiger?"

"I'm alright," I answered, shrugging, watching the doorway I watched Chuck head through.

"Don't mind that damn son of mine, you hear? He'll come 'round." I shut my eyes and smiled, still holding the tears back. "What are you doing here? Last we heard you were out in Afghanistan."

"Well, I was. Pentecost and Ethan called me out here." I gestured to the both of them and expected them to pick up the pace.

"Damn straight I did," Pentecost assured me with a smirk. "We need you."

"I keep hearing that, but no one is telling me why. There are plenty of people who still know about Jaegers that can train these men."

"You're the only one I would still consider qualified. You were here when the program started. When they shut down, the pilots stayed, but they're all so damn cocky. You're a team leader, Rakton. You're the Major of a unit in Afghanistan. I can't imagine that's easy. I can also imagine you've had to tear down some pretty big egos to build a team. And I've brought in Raleigh. He's out of commission since Yancy died and these hotheads need someone to get them back into shape – "

"Pentecost, you know I respect you. You and my dad were together through some pretty deep shit, but these men won't respect me. You just saw how Hansen was…"

"Of course they will. You're 'James Rakton's daughter'," Ethan clipped. I rolled my eyes. He knew I disliked throwing our father's title into any argument for obvious reasons.

"Shut it, Ethan," I told him, giving him a pointed look.

"Come over here and _make _me, _Major_," he teased, batting his lashes.

"I'll deal with you later, nerd." I folded my arms and raised an eyebrow at the Marshall. "Wait – " I began, borderline shouting. "What do you mean Yancy died and Raleigh quit the program?" I asked, as if it had finally registered what Pentecost had said. The Beckets were the best in our squad in Alaska. So good that when my dad took us out to Australia, he left them behind to train more with Pentecost.

"Knifehead, 2020, you don't recall?" I thought about all of the stupid names I had heard for the Kaiju since their uprising. I knew about that time that some major category had taken out a few of our "best" boys, but I had never heard who. It was hard to get news in Afghanistan.

"Christ," I muttered, holding my hand over my mouth. "Where is Raleigh now?"

"He should be in his quarters where I left him earlier," Pentecost answered, his brow knitted together.

"You need me for anything else?" I questioned, glancing at the monitors around us. I wanted out of the room. I wanted to talk to Becket. I wanted to find Chuck and sort our mess out. I needed – privacy.

"I'll show you your quarters," Herc told me with a smile. I had completely forgotten he was standing there. I returned the smile and nodded.

"I'll come get you tomorrow morning, Rakton. We'll get started then," Pentecost assured me as Herc led me around a series of corridors.

"You lost yet?" he asked, jokingly as we turned another corner. I smiled and shook my head. "You should have seen Chuck and me the first day here, spent hours walking ourselves into circles." It was such a natural conversation for us to have, but it didn't hurt any less.

"Is he honestly okay?" I asked, stopping him along the wall, out of the way of the traffic walking by us. He didn't make eye contact with me for a while, then slowly shook his head.

** X**

**December 2018:**

"It's so weird, it's literally almost a week from Christmas and here we are – outside – with t-shirts on," I exclaimed, holding mine out away from my body. It was damn near two in the morning and Chuck and I had situated ourselves on the edge of base, looking up at the stars. We had propped up a few pieces of our gear to mask our area from anyone walking by. Chuck laughed and rolled onto his back, pulling me down with him.

"How's feel not to be surrounded in snow?"

"Weird. I mean, back home, Christmas is all about snow. You know – _I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas_… all that."

"Speaking of Christmas," he added. "You never did tell me what you wanted." I sighed and kissed his chin, watching his dimples appear in the corners of his mouth.

"I told you I don't want anything."

"You're a horrible liar, Gia." He kissed the tip of my nose sweetly, pushing a stray piece of hair back.

"I don't want anything, Charlie. Honestly."

"Well, I got you something anyway." I groaned and rolled off of him, allowing him to sit up. I hadn't had the time to run out and buy him something. I had been too busy making up different training plans with my father. Team building exercises, muscle stretching and strengthening, and various coping strategies for in case they got lost inside of the Drift. Christmas had been out of sight. He pulled a small green package out of a zipper on his pack nearby and held it out. "I want you to have it now since you have to leave in a few days."

"Charlie… I didn't get you anything," I admitted taking the green box from him.

"It's nothing, I promise." I peered up at him through my lashes and scooted myself between his legs, resting my back against him. I pulled the flap on the gift tag up. To: Gia, From: Charlie Cat. I laughed and turned my head around to kiss his cheek. "You're the only person in this world I would and will allow to call me Charlie. Or Cat."

"Oh, hush. You secretly love it," I teased, nuzzling my face against his.

"Could you please just open it?" he asked me anxiously. "Before I open it for you."

"Yes!" I muttered, kissing him again. I ripped the paper back and was met with a small framed pictured of us on our celebration for the Fourth of July. Weirdest one on record for me. It was almost forty degrees all day and my dad let us take a few days off to celebrate and boy, we did. Charlie took me to a small place inland the night before the actual Fourth. We stayed at his apartment – even went on an actual date. We went out to dinner, a movie, and a pub. The picture was of us, all rosy from the wind, standing outside of a bar, two big ridiculous looks on our faces as we pointed up to the pub title with our free hands. "Babe, this is perfect."

"You like it?"

"I _love_ it." I turned around in his lap and he smiled, giving me a short kiss on the mouth. I wrapped my arms around his neck and held him like that for a while, trying to remember everything in my mind as it was happening.

"Please don't leave, Gia," he whispered, pulling me backwards slightly. He rested his forehead against mine, bearing his blue eyes straight into mine. I exhaled slowly and closed my eyes.

"I'll be back, I promise you," I whispered back.

"What if you get hurt?"

"I won't get hurt."

"You don't know that."

"And you don't know that I will." I scooted away from him and he pulled me back. We had talked almost every day since I found out about my new placement. He was trying to find a way around the placement every way he could. Charlie was bound to make me stay, no matter how badly I wanted to go. I was offered the placement in Afghanistan, no break or rest – I was just going to be dropped right off into the fight, with my own unit and a promotion to go along with it. The Jaeger program had thinned out over the last year and I knew with my abilities that I wasn't going to make it very far. There were too many opportunities, too many people that were better in the Drift than I was – too many people with more talent. And I just knew that. I just knew the only way I could better myself was to get out and take charge somewhere else.

"I know, Gia. I just can't keep you safe from here."

"I'm a big girl, Chuck."

"I didn't mean it like that. Come on. Don't argue with me when you leave in a few days."

"I'm scared," I admitted, feeling the full intensity of what was to come. He was the only person I would ever admit my fear to. I was going to be deployed in three days' time - new scene, all on my own, without my dad, or any familiar faces.

"I know, baby, but you'll be back next year."

"It's going to be a long year."

"You'll be so busy, you'll hardly notice." He pulled a blanket over the both of us as a chilly breeze picked up. "Besides, who knows, when I come to pick you up, I might be wearing an actual Jaeger suit." He purred against my neck.

"I'll be ready to rip it off of you the minute I see you."

"Mhm. You better." He kissed my shoulder and I held our picture up again. "There's a letter in the back of the frame –" I turned it over and he stopped me. "Don't open it until you're at least on the plane. Open it when you really miss me. Keep it on you. As long as you have that letter, I am with you."

X

July 2025:

I pulled the picture out of my pack slowly. The frame had been dinged up a few times over the last five years, but it was still serving its purpose. I placed it on a table by the bed and pulled the letter out next. I had it laminated a few years ago because it had started to rip down the middle. I couldn't bring myself to read any of the lines as I put it on the table too. I had almost memorized the entire letter anyway. "Fucking fuck," I whispered, unpacking my clothes as the memory haunted me. After placing my last pair of socks into a drawer, I had no choice but to start pacing. It was odd to go straight from a war, to almost complete silence. I started pacing. It was too quiet. Too lonely. Too closed in. I sat down on the edge of the bed and quickly stood up again. I had to continuously remind myself that there wasn't a war outside. No men were going to come screaming into my room, bloodied and hurt. The thought pricked my nerves in just the right place. I opened my door and sat out to find Becket. I couldn't sit alone anymore.

Every door looked the same to me. And I cursed myself a thousand times over for not taking directional notes from Herc earlier. I could understand why he and Chuck got lost so easily. I stumbled down another corridor, only to run into Ethan as I turned. "Oh, hey, Gia. Nice to see you've got your sea legs." Ignoring him, I glanced behind him, hoping I would see another person that could potentially help me.

"Have you seen Becket?" I asked.

"Raleigh?"

"Yes, is his room nearby?"

"You think _lover boy_ would like seeing you head into another man's room?"

"Shut the fuck up, Ethan," I quipped, resisting the urge to smack my much taller, older brother on the back of the head.

"Around to the right, second door on the left," he answered. I left my thin, lanky annoyance at his door and hunted down Raleigh's room. I knocked twice, strong and hard. The door squeaked open slowly.

"Hi, can I help you?" Becket asked shyly, partially hidden by his door.

"Oh, honestly you don't remember me?" I asked.

"Gia?!"

"Mhm!" His face lit up and he yanked me into a crushing hug. I always thought of the Beckets as human lions. They both had bright blonde hair, rambunctious personalities, and bright blue eyes. I squeezed back as hard as I could. "Easy," I choked as he squeezed tighter.

"I haven't seen you since your dad's funeral," he stated, releasing me.

"I know. And I just heard about Yancy. Christ, Raleigh. I'm so sorry." His face became stoic and he shrugged.

"It's alright," he mumbled, waving a hand at me.

"What have you been up to?"

"Not out getting promoted to Major," he joked, hitting my arm.

"Shut it, Becket. Where've you been?"

"After Yancy died, I just kind of – stopped. I couldn't do it anymore. I didn't want to do it anymore. I started working on the Anti-Kaiju wall. Just did that for a while." I smiled and reached out to squeeze his hand. I could honestly tell him I knew where he was coming from. I knew that feeling. But, Becket still wasn't the same man I knew. He was different. He was much too relaxed. Not as excited. Not as smiley. I didn't have room to talk though. I had changed too. I opened my mouth to speak again when Chuck came through Raleigh's still opened door. Chuck froze, staring at the both of us, his eyes wide.

"There are doors on these fucking rooms for a reason," he snipped, pointing at Raleigh's door.

"There is such a thing as knocking," I quipped back.

"They want you on the bridge, Ray-leigh," Chuck growled under his breath. He turned to leave and this time, my instinct told me to follow. I couldn't fight it. In that split second I tried to stop myself, but I ended up following him…

"You can untwist that shit look from your face, Charlie. I've known Becket since Alaska in 2017," I stated, keeping pace with him as he walked.

"Get the hell away from me," he muttered, lowly, keeping his eyes forward.

"You can't just ignore me, Charlie!"

"Stop calling me that. My name is Chuck!"

"Not to me it isn't!"

"No!" He shouted, stopping to point at me. "The girl I fell in love with called me that. And you aren't her." He looked at me up and down slowly. "I don't know who you are." I could feel that internal dam again, that swell in my throat. He took a step away and my voice broke.

"_Please, Chuck_," I whispered, a hot tear rolling down my cheek. He took a step closer, then back again.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I can't." He walked away this time and I stood, not sure if I should continue to follow him or not. I wiped the tears away and walked myself in circles.

** X**

**January 2018:**

The mess hall was loud and unforgiving. All of us mixed in together, regardless of rank. Travis and I stood, holding our trays looking like a couple of new kids – awkward, frightened, and shy. He nudged me forward and I shot him a glare. He laughed and pointed as Will stood up and whistled for us. "Let's go before he starts throwing boomerangs at us," Travis joked under his breath. Chuck was seated across from us, along with a few other men from our hangar. I sat down between Travis and a younger man that I hadn't met yet.

"Aren't you the Yank leading us?" asked the guy to my right.

"Yes," I answered, taking a sip from my water bottle.

"How many guys you given the gobby to to make it this far?" I raised my eyebrow at him.

"Pardon?"

"Oh, come on now, sheila. You know _exactly_ what I mean. I bet you give _great gobby_. And you wanna know how I know? That mouth of yours. _It's perfect_."

"Lachlan, watch yourself, mate," Chuck warned, his face serious.

"Oh, relax, Chuckie. I'm just muckin' around."

"Is he being rude?" I asked Chuck.

"He asked how many times you've sucked off a guy to get here," he replied without missing a beat.

"That so?" I asked, a smile creeping up on my face. Chuck nodded. "Hey Lachlan," I started, turning to face him. I inched him forward with my finger, when he was close enough for my liking, I buried my first into his face, knocking him backwards into the man behind him.

"Oi! Fuck!" Lachlan shouted before rolling down onto the concrete floor.

"Sorry to tell you that hand jobs are my specialty," I spat, standing above him. Travis along with some men and women clapped as my dad approached, a damning look on his face.


End file.
